Republican presidential hopefuls and potential 2024 contenders aren’t going out of their way to weigh in on the legal battle over the abortion medication mifepristone.
The challenge to the drug’s Food and Drug Administration approval — and therefore its availability — in the U.S. is the latest chapter in the saga over abortion access. Republican presidential hopefuls, aware of the breadth of public support for abortion access, even among some GOP voters, have been struggling over how to navigate abortion politics following the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.
A CBS News poll from earlier this month found that the majority of Americans disagree with the lower court ruling to ban the drug. According to the poll, 67% of Americans believe the abortion pill should remain legal where abortion is legal. Only 33% believe it should not be available. And the findings are not entirely partisan: nearly half of Republicans, 46%, believe the pill should remain available where abortion is legal.
Since the overturning of Roe, addressing abortion has been a hurdle for GOP candidates who need to win over conservative voters in the primary – and then would likely need to court moderate support in the general election. And not only does the mifepristone battle keep abortion in the spotlight; it would not just impact access in states where abortion is already restricted but could reduce access nationally.
Here’s where Republicans running for president — or thinking about it — stand on the abortion pill:
